904 Chapter 31

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW TERMS & NAMES

ECONOMICS An economic
depression in the United States
spread throughout the world
and lasted for a decade.
Many social and economic
programs introduced worldwide
to combat the Great Depression
are still operating.
coalition
government
Weimar
Republic
Great
Depression
Franklin D.
Roosevelt
New Deal
2
SETTING THE STAGE By the late 1920s, European nations were rebuilding war-
torn economies. They were aided by loans from the more prosperous United States.
Only the United States and Japan came out of the war in better financial shape than
before. In the United States, Americans seemed confident that the country would
continue on the road to even greater economic prosperity. One sign of this was the
booming stock market. Yet the American economy had serious weaknesses that were
soon to bring about the most severe economic downturn the world had yet known.
Postwar Europe
In both human suffering and economic terms, the cost of World War I was immense.
The Great War left every major European country nearly bankrupt. In addition,
Europes domination in world affairs declined after the war.
Unstable New Democracies Wars end saw the sudden rise of new democra-
cies. From 1914 to 1918, Europes last absolute rulers had been overthrown. The
first of the new governments was formed in Russia in 1917. The Provisional
Government, as it was called, hoped to establish constitutional and democratic
rule. However, within months it had fallen to a Communist dictatorship. Even so,
for the first time, most European nations had democratic governments.
Many citizens of the new democracies had little experience with representa-
tive government. For generations, kings and emperors had ruled Germany and
the new nations formed from Austria-Hungary. Even in France and Italy, whose
parliaments had existed before World War I, the large number of political parties
made effective government difficult. Some countries had a dozen or more polit-
ical groups. In these countries, it was almost impossible for one party to win
enough support to govern effectively. When no single party won a majority, a
coalition government, or temporary alliance of several parties, was needed to
form a parliamentary majority. Because the parties disagreed on so many poli-
cies, coalitions seldom lasted very long.
Frequent changes in government made it hard for democratic countries to
develop strong leadership and move toward long-term goals. The weaknesses of
a coalition government became a major problem in times of crisis. Voters in sev-
eral countries were then willing to sacrifice democratic government for strong,
authoritarian leadership.
A Worldwide Depression
Recognizing Effects
Use a diagram to show
the effects of the Great
Depression in the
United States.
TAKING NOTES
The Great
Depression
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Identifying
Problems
What political
problems did the
Weimar Republic
face?
The Weimar Republic
Germanys new democratic government was set up in 1919. Known as the Weimar
(WYMAHR) Republic, it was named after the city where the national assembly
met. The Weimar Republic had serious weaknesses from the start. First, Germany
lacked a strong democratic tradition. Furthermore, postwar Germany had several
major political parties and many minor ones. Worst of all, millions of Germans
blamed the Weimar government, not their wartime leaders, for the countrys defeat
and postwar humiliation caused by the Versailles Treaty.
Inflation Causes Crisis in Germany Germany also faced enormous economic
problems that had begun during the war. Unlike Britain and France, Germany had
not greatly increased its wartime taxes. To pay the expenses of the war, the
Germans had simply printed money. After Germanys defeat, this paper money
steadily lost its value. Burdened with heavy reparations payments to the Allies and
with other economic problems, Germany printed even more money. As a result, the
value of the mark, as Germanys currency was called, fell sharply. Severe inflation
set in. Germans needed more and more money to buy even the most basic goods.
For example, in Berlin a loaf of bread cost less than a mark in 1918, more than 160
marks in 1922, and some 200 billion marks by late 1923. People took wheelbar-
rows full of money to buy food. As a result, many Germans questioned the value
of their new democratic government.
Attempts at Economic Stability
Germany recovered from the 1923
inflation thanks largely to the work
of an international committee. The
committee was headed by Charles
Dawes, an American banker. The
Dawes Plan provided for a $200 mil-
lion loan from American banks to
stabilize German currency and
strengthen its economy. The plan
also set a more realistic schedule for
Germanys reparations payments.
Put into effect in 1924, the Dawes
Plan helped slow inflation. As the
German economy began to recover, it
attracted more loans and investments
from the United States. By 1929,
German factories were producing as
much as they had before the war.
Efforts at a Lasting Peace As
prosperity returned, Germanys for-
eign minister, Gustav Stresemann
(STRAYzuhMAHN), and Frances
foreign minister, Aristide Briand
(breeAHND), tried to improve rela-
tions between their countries. In
1925, the two ministers met in
Locarno, Switzerland, with officials
from Belgium, Italy, and Britain.
They signed a treaty promising that
France and Germany would never
German
children use
stacks of money
as building
blocks during
the 1923
inflation.
Years of Crisis 905
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906 Chapter 31
again make war against each other. Germany also agreed to respect the existing
borders of France and Belgium. It then was admitted to the League of Nations.
In 1928, the hopes raised by the spirit of Locarno led to the Kellogg-Briand
peace pact. Frank Kellogg, the U.S. Secretary of State, arranged this agreement
with Frances Briand. Almost every country in the world, including the Soviet
Union, signed. They pledged to renounce war as an instrument of national policy.
Unfortunately, the treaty had no means to enforce its provisions. The League of
Nations, the obvious choice as enforcer, had no armed forces. The refusal of the
United States to join the League also weakened it. Nonetheless, the peace agree-
ments seemed a good start.
Financial Collapse
In the late 1920s, American economic prosperity largely sustained the world econ-
omy. If the U.S. economy weakened, the whole worlds economic system might col-
lapse. In 1929, it did.
A Flawed U.S. Economy Despite prosperity, several weaknesses in the U.S.
economy caused serious problems. These included uneven distribution of wealth,
overproduction by business and agriculture, and the fact that many Americans
were buying less.
By 1929, American factories were turning out nearly half
of the worlds industrial goods. The rising productivity led
to enormous profits. However, this new wealth was not
evenly distributed. The richest 5 percent of the population
received 33 percent of all personal income in 1929. Yet 60
percent of all American families earned less than $2,000 a
year. Thus, most families were too poor to buy the goods
being produced. Unable to sell all their goods, store owners
eventually cut back their orders from factories. Factories in
turn reduced production and laid off workers. A downward
economic spiral began. As more workers lost their jobs,
families bought even fewer goods. In turn, factories made
further cuts in production and laid off more workers.
During the 1920s, overproduction affected American
farmers as well. Scientific farming methods and new farm
machinery had dramatically increased crop yields.
American farmers were producing more food. Meanwhile,
they faced new competition from farmers in Australia, Latin
America, and Europe. As a result, a worldwide surplus of
agricultural products drove prices and profits down.
Unable to sell their crops at a profit, many farmers could
not pay off the bank loans that kept them in business. Their
unpaid debts weakened banks and forced some to close. The
danger signs of overproduction by factories and farms
should have warned people against gambling on the stock
market. Yet no one heeded the warning.
The Stock Market Crashes In 1929, New York Citys Wall
Street was the financial capital of the world. Banks and
investment companies lined its sidewalks. At Wall Streets
New York Stock Exchange, optimism about the booming
U.S. economy showed in soaring prices for stocks. To get in
on the boom, many middle-income people began buying
Identifying
Problems
What major
weaknesses had
appeared in the
American economy
by 1929?
Investing in Stocks
Stocks are shares of ownership in a
company. Businesses get money to
operate by selling shares of stock to
investors, or buyers. Companies pay
interest on the invested money in the
form of dividends to the shareholders.
Dividends rise or fall depending on a
companys profits.
Investors do not buy stocks
directly from the company; instead,
stockbrokers transact the business of
buying and selling.
Investors hope to make more
money on stocks than if they put
their money elsewhere, such as in a
savings account with a fixed rate of
interest. However, if the stock price
goes down, investors lose money
when they sell their stock at a lower
price than when they bought it.
5
10
15
20
25
30
1925
P
r
i
c
e

I
n
d
e
x
1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933
Stock Prices, 19251933
Source: Historical Statistics of the United States
Page 3 of 6
stocks on margin. This meant that they paid a small percentage of a stocks price
as a down payment and borrowed the rest from a stockbroker. The system worked
well as long as stock prices were rising. However, if they fell, investors had no
money to pay off the loan.
In September 1929, some investors began to think that stock prices were unnat-
urally high. They started selling their stocks, believing the prices would soon go
down. By Thursday, October 24, the gradual lowering of stock prices had become
an all-out slide downward. A panic resulted. Everyone wanted to sell stocks, and
no one wanted to buy. Prices plunged to a new low on Tuesday, October 29. A
record 16 million stocks were sold. Then the market collapsed.
The Great Depression
People could not pay the money they owed on margin purchases. Stocks they had
bought at high prices were now worthless. Within months of the crash, unemploy-
ment rates began to rise as industrial production, prices, and wages declined. A
long business slump, which would come to be called the Great Depression, fol-
lowed. The stock market crash alone did not cause the Great Depression, but it
quickened the collapse of the economy and made the Depression more difficult. By
1932, factory production had been cut in half. Thousands of businesses failed, and
banks closed. Around 9 million people lost the money in their savings accounts
when banks had no money to pay them. Many farmers lost their lands when they
could not make mortgage payments. By 1933, one-fourth of all American workers
had no jobs.
A Global Depression The collapse of the American economy sent shock waves
around the world. Worried American bankers demanded repayment of their overseas
loans, and American investors withdrew their money from Europe. The American
market for European goods dropped sharply as the U.S. Congress placed high tariffs
on imported goods so that American dollars would stay in the United States and pay
for American goods. This policy backfired. Conditions worsened for the United
Years of Crisis 907
Vocabulary
tariffs: taxes charged
by a government on
imported or
exported goods
Life in the Depression
During the Great Depression of 1929 to
1939, millions of people worldwide lost
their jobs or their farms. At first the
unemployed had to depend on the charity
of others for food, clothing, and shelter.
Many, like the men in this photo taken
in New York City, made their home in
makeshift shacks. Local governments and
charities opened soup kitchens to provide
free food. There were long lines of
applicants for what work was available,
and these jobs usually paid low wages.
INTERNET ACTIVITY Create a photo-essay
on the Great Depression in the United
States. Go to classzone.com for your
research.
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908 Chapter 31
States. Many countries that depended on exporting goods to the United States also
suffered. Moreover, when the United States raised tariffs, it set off a chain reaction.
Other nations imposed their own higher tariffs. World trade dropped by 65 percent.
This contributed further to the economic downturn. Unemployment rates soared.
Effects Throughout the World Because of war debts and dependence on
American loans and investments, Germany and Austria were particularly hard hit.
In 1931, Austrias largest bank failed. In Asia, both farmers and urban workers suf-
fered as the value of exports fell by half between 1929 and 1931. The crash was felt
heavily in Latin America as well. As European and U.S. demand for such Latin
American products as sugar, beef, and copper dropped, prices collapsed.
The World Confronts the Crisis
The Depression confronted democracies with a serious challenge to their economic
and political systems. Each country met the crisis in its own way.
Britain Takes Steps to Improve Its Economy The Depression hit Britain severely.
To meet the emergency, British voters elected a multiparty coalition known as the
National Government. It passed high protective tariffs, increased taxes, and regulated
the currency. It also lowered interest rates to encourage industrial growth. These meas-
ures brought about a slow but steady recovery. By 1937, unemployment had been cut
in half, and production had risen above 1929 levels. Britain avoided political extremes
and preserved democracy.
France Responds to Economic Crisis Unlike Britain, France had a more self-
sufficient economy. In 1930, it was still heavily agricultural and less dependent on
foreign trade. Nevertheless, by 1935, one million French workers were unemployed.
The economic crisis contributed to political instability. In 1933, five coalition
governments formed and fell. Many political leaders were frightened by the growth
of antidemocratic forces both in France and in other parts of Europe. So in 1936,
moderates, Socialists, and Communists formed a coalition. The Popular Front, as
it was called, passed a series of reforms to help the workers. Unfortunately, price
increases quickly offset wage gains. Unemployment remained high. Yet France also
preserved democratic government.
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f

W
o
r
k

F
o
r
c
e
Germany Great Britain United States
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1938 1936 1934 1932 1930 1928
Unemployment Rate, 19281938
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1933 1932 1931 1930 1929
T
r
a
d
e

(
i
n

b
i
l
l
i
o
n
s

o
f

d
o
l
l
a
r
s
)
World Trade, 19291933
World imports World exports
Sources: European Historical Statistics: 17501970;
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970.
Source: Kenneth Oye, Economic Discrimination and Political Exchange
SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Graphs
1. Comparing What nation had the highest rate of unemployment? How high did it reach?
2. Clarifying Between 1929 and 1933, how much did world exports drop? What about
world imports?
Page 5 of 6
Socialist Governments Find Solutions The Socialist governments in the Scandi-
navian countries of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway also met the challenge of eco-
nomic crisis successfully. They built their recovery programs on an existing
tradition of cooperative community action. In Sweden, the government sponsored
massive public works projects that kept people employed and producing. All the
Scandinavian countries raised pensions for the elderly and increased unemploy-
ment insurance, subsidies for housing, and other welfare benefits. To pay for these
benefits, the governments taxed all citizens. Democracy remained intact.
Recovery in the United States In 1932, in the first presidential election after the
Depression had begun, U.S. voters elected Franklin D. Roosevelt. His confident
manner appealed to millions of Americans who felt bewildered by the Depression. On
March 4, 1933, the new president sought to restore Americans faith in their nation.
P R I MA R Y S O U R C E
This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. . . .
let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself
nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to
convert retreat into advance.
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT, First Inaugural Address
Roosevelt immediately began a program of government reform that he
called the New Deal. Large public works projects helped to provide jobs for
the unemployed. New government agencies gave financial help to businesses
and farms. Large amounts of public money were spent on welfare and relief pro-
grams. Roosevelt and his advisers believed that government spending would cre-
ate jobs and start a recovery. Regulations were imposed to reform the stock market
and the banking system.
The New Deal did eventually reform the American economic system.
Roosevelts leadership preserved the countrys faith in its democratic political sys-
tem. It also established him as a leader of democracy in a world threatened by ruth-
less dictators, as you will read about in Section 3.
Years of Crisis 909
Analyzing
Primary Sources
What effect
do you think
Roosevelts speech
had on the
American people?
TERMS & NAMES 1. For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.
coalition government Weimar Republic Great Depression Franklin D. Roosevelt New Deal
USING YOUR NOTES
2. What did President Roosevelt
do to try to counter the
effects of the Great
Depression?
MAIN IDEAS
3. How did World War I change
the balance of economic
power in the world?
4. What problems did the
collapse of the American
economy cause in other
countries?
5. How did Europe respond to
the economic crisis?
SECTION ASSESSMENT
2
CRITICAL THINKING & WRITING
6. MAKING PREDICTIONS What did the weakness of the
League of Nations in 1928 suggest about its future
effectiveness?
7. ANALYZING CAUSES List one cause for each of the
following effects: American market for European goods
dropped; unemployment rates soared; European banks
and businesses closed.
8. EVALUATING COURSES OF ACTION Why do you think
Roosevelt immediately established the New Deal?
9. WRITING ACTIVITY Write headlines on the
stock market crash and the worlds response to it.
ECONOMICS
INTERNET ACTIVITY
Use the Internet to follow the ups and downs of the stock market for a
week. Chart the stock markets course in a line graph.
INTERNET KEYWORD
stock market

Stricken with
polio in 1921,
Roosevelt vowed
he would not
allow bodily
disability to
defeat his will.
The Great
Depression
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